PRESS RELEASE

REWARD INCREASED IN THORPE MURDER

The same Fauquier County resident who last year offered a reward of $10,000.00 to anyone who could provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the murder of Tammy L. Thorpe is now upping the reward to $30,000.00.

This resident, who still wishes to remain anonymous, is hopeful the reward will produce the evidence necessary to solve this case. In addition to this reward, there is an addition $10,000.00 reward posted and Crime Solvers is offering up to $1,000.00.

Ms. Thorpe was found shot to death on October 23, 1988 shortly after 7:00 AM off a gravel road, approximately ¼ mile outside the Warrenton Town limits on the northbound side of Rt. 17. Ms. Thorpe, who was twenty (2) years old at the time of her death, was last seen around
3:00 AM in Warrenton driving her 1986 two (2) door gold Pontiac Grand Am with Virginia registration 86-TAMMY. The State Medical Examiner determined that Tammy had died of multiple gunshot wounds. Evidence recovered by the investigating team indicates a small caliber handgun was involved. A 1986 Fauquier High School graduate, Ms. Thorpe was working as a secretary in Marshall at the time of her death.

The Sheriff’s Office has followed up on hundreds of leads over the past thirteen (13) years. Several suspects have been developed but no arrests have been made. Over the past years detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division have been going back over the volumes of information, leads, and reports. Evidence was resubmitted to the forensic lab for re-evaluation and examination.

The original team of investigators had the case profiled by the FBI at Quantico, Virginia. The profile concludes Ms. Thorpe’s assailant was most probably a white male who lives in Fauquier County and knew her. Experts at the National Center are still convinced that Tammy was not killed by a stranger but by someone she knew. At the time of the killing in 1988, the perpetrator was most likely exhibiting signs of great psychological stress and had to internalize his anger and frustration over this senseless crime. He is still likely to be thinking about it today and haunted by dreams of what happened.

The public’s support and response in the past has been tremendous and greatly appreciated by the Thorpe family and the Sheriff’s Office. We are now asking for your help again as the anniversary date of Tammy’s death occurs. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office are confident someone in Fauquier County knows the person responsible for Tammy’s death and has the ability to bring closure to this tragedy.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 540-347-3300 (24 hrs), or the Criminal Investigation Division, at 540-422-8650.